It’s serious, every last drop counts now

SOUTH Africans are known for their resilience and their national spirit to support causes that seek to preserve our existence.

The Gauteng Department of Water and Sanitation’s warning that the water situation in the province is worsening by the day should be heeded urgently by consumers. So dire is the situation that the department has announced the dam levels are dropping at an alarming rate.

The department had this to say about the current situation: “We are effectively faced with two choices: continue to use our water without regard for tomorrow or face the prospect of not having water at all.”

Joburg Water notes that the water levels in the Integrated Vaal River System have dropped below the threshold level of 60 percent – the Vaal Dam itself is at around 35 percent. This means if there are no early summer rains, we’re in big trouble.

The City of Joburg and other municipalities have introduced the water restrictions tariff to be implemented on October 1 in an attempt to curb excessive water usage. The objective is to reduce the total usage by 15 percent.

However, national pride and compassion should drive consumers to act to preserve this precious resource rather than the punitive fines.

The truth is, we are on the brink of a possible water shortage disaster and the reality has to sink in that every drop of water counts. It needs to be our culture to practise water-saving tips daily.

A dripping tap can waste up to 30 litres of water an hour. If this continues over a period of a year more than 10 000 litres of water will simply disappear down the drain.

It takes really small steps to start saving our precious water and save money on doing the basics such as: repairing leaking taps, turning the tap off when brushing your teeth saving at least 5 litres, washing your car on the lawn using a bucket instead of the hose and saving a staggering 100 to 300 litres of water, covering your swimming pool to avoid evaporation on hot days and throughout winter. It takes a massive 20 000 to 55 000 litres to fill a swimming pool.

Either we start reducing our consumption or face the prospect of not having water at all tomorrow. Kgamanyane Maphologela Spokesperson for the City of Joburg

PICTURE: PABALLO THEKISO COMMITTED EFFORTS: Dura Shine owner Bhupesh Vala demonstrates his eco-friendly car-washing system, which uses no water at all. We need to pay strict attention to our water usage, says the writer.